Burkina Faso Orders French Embassy Military Attaché to Leave the Country

The military council in Burkina Faso announced in a statement reviewed by Reuters on Friday that it has ordered the French embassy military attaché, Emmanuel Pasquier, to leave the country due to "subversive" behavior. The statement dated Thursday stated that Pasquier and his staff must depart within two weeks. A source from the French foreign ministry told Reuters that Burkina Faso's allegations against the military attaché regarding his involvement in "subversive activities" are unlikely. This action is the latest indication of rising tensions between the West African nation and its former colonizer, France, following the military government's assumption of power in two coups last year. The transitional government in Burkina Faso had already ordered the French ambassador and high-ranking UN official Barbara Manzi to leave the country. There is also a crackdown targeting French media.